If you’re working in molecular modeling, managing vast amounts of spatial and chemical information becomes second nature. But presenting this data clearly, especially in shared research files or publications, isn’t always easy. One recurring challenge is how to make measurements of distances, angles, and torsions not only visible but also readable and distinguishable at a glance—no matter your zoom level or viewport setup.
That’s where SAMSON’s label customization capabilities for measurements come into play. In this blog post, we’ll delve into how to personalize measurement labels to better suit your needs, especially when dealing with complex systems or preparing visual material for publications.
When Default Isn’t Enough
In SAMSON, you can create measurements easily with the Measure editor—be it a distance between atoms, angle between three, or torsion between four. While that’s straightforward, things can get messy when you have many measurements and need to tell them apart quickly or ensure they’re readable across different resolutions or project visuals. Fortunately, you can customize:
- Text font and size
- Text color and label offset
- Color of measurement lines, angle planes, or torsion visuals
Per-Label Customization via the Inspector
You can modify each label individually in SAMSON using the Inspector panel. Simply select a label and customize the following properties:
- Font: Choose from available fonts for better visibility or stylistic consistency.
- Line Color / Plane Color: Highlight measurements based on their category or importance.
- Text Color: Make labels stand out based on background or overlaid data.
Resetting Colors (Because Mistakes Happen)
If you’ve changed colors and want to revert to the default look, no worries. To reset the line or plane color, double-click the associated color box in the Inspector:
To reset the text color specifically, click the X icon (
) beside the “Text color” field:
Font Settings for All Labels
If you’d rather not customize each label manually, you can specify default settings for all unspecific labels globally in Preferences > Rendering > Labels. There, you can:
- Set the default font family and size
- Control the number of decimal places shown on labels for angles and distances
Why It Matters
Clear labeling helps you keep track of your analysis, avoid misinterpretation, and make your visuals easier to present. Whether it’s distinguishing between multiple torsions in a scaffold or quickly reading the distance between interacting residues, these small visual improvements can go a long way in both precision and presentation quality.
To learn more about measurement tools and label customization, check out the official documentation page.
SAMSON and all SAMSON Extensions are free for non-commercial use. You can download SAMSON at https://www.samson-connect.net.